Many years ago, my kids and I went to Disney World for a week. For reasons I still don't clearly understand, my son chose to bring only the pair of shoes he left home wearing - a pair of cheap flip flops. I was unaware of his decision until one of the flip flops broke while at the theme park. I was not amused.
Some recriminations and disgusted conversation followed, mostly from him about his lack of foresight, but obviously, he had to have shoes. The only thing available at that point, since his current pair was literally falling apart and he had to have something to wear immediately, was an overpriced pair of flip flops with some Disney character on them from one of the thousands of conveniently located shops in front of us. (I think it might have been Nightmare Before Christmas, but I could be wrong.) So we bought a pair for a king's ransom, and we were all back to having a good time.
In retrospect, it could have been much worse. They could have broken in the airport or on the airplane on the way to or from our vacation. They could have broken in the bus as we were riding to the park, and he would have had to make the long walk into the park with a broken shoe. Instead of a broken flip flop, it could have been a broken foot or a broken ankle. It was a brief inconvenience, easily fixed, although irritating at the time.
Ironically, he wore those flip flops a long time. They were expensive junk, I am sure, but they held up pretty well. The unexpected bonus was that every time I saw them on his feet, I got a warm feeling of remembrance of a wonderful time spent with two of my favorite people on earth. It was worth every penny I paid to be reminded of the wonderful memories we shared for those few magical days.
Broken flip flops aren't a huge deal, it was only a temporary inconvenience. But it is amazing how often we allow those temporary inconveniences to affect our attitude and behavior. Someone cuts us off while driving, and we rage behind our wheel, carrying it with us to our destination. A clerk is short with us, and we are angry and unforgiving towards the next person we interact with. Kids do dumb things, and we over-react and yell when we should probably just let it go and save the drama for the big stuff that really matters. We get mad at our spouses, our friends, our family, and it becomes A Big Thing, when in reality, it was a small matter.
Looking back, I think of the broken flip flops and smile. It was a funny moment, watching him trying to hide the fact that his shoe was broken and walk with a flip flop that had seen better days. The memories of that time make me happy, as we spent a much needed week suspended from the reality of our lives at that time. The minor inconvenience was just that, and now is an amusing file in our memory bank.
I wonder if God looks at us in this way, as well? Does he shake his head at our silly mistakes, our lack of thoughtfulness as we go about our day? Does he wonder how we could be so foolish, to allow such immaterial matters to ruin our day, when in reality, it is just a brief moment in a lifetime?
Today I am grateful for the reminder that small things don't need to ruin the day, or even the moment. We are human. Things go wrong unexpectedly. You cannot plan for every eventuality. Let go of the moment, fix the problem as best you can, and live for the day. You never know, it become a cherished memory down the line.
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